Method and device for effecting fumigation



0ct. l1, 1938. D G. L. HocKENYos METHOD AND DEVICE FOR EFFECTING FUMIGATION vFiled April 12, 1935 Patented Cet. l1, i938 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR EFFECTING FUMIGATION George L. Hockenyos, Springfield, Ill., assignor to Monsanto Chemical Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Application April 12, y 1935, Serial N0. 15,945 2 Claims. '(Cl.2158) 'I'he present invention relates to fumigants for exterminating such insect and rodent pests as infest dwellings, storage rooms, ships and similar structures, and it has particular relation to 5 materials for the generation of sulfur dioxide for use in such capacity.

The main objects of the invention are to pro- Materials for generating sulfur dioxide for fumigation purposes in which the formation of the deposit of solid sublimed sulfur upon the surfaces of articles to be fumigated is obviated;

A package for the storage and shipment of highly inflammable materials capable upon combustion of generating sulfur dioxide, which will not permit spilling of the inammable materials upon rupture of the container;

A package for storage and shipment of highly inflammable materials capable of generating sulfur dioxide upon combustion which may be employed as a highly efficient burner for generating the sulfur dioxide fumes during processes of fumigation.

These and other objects will be apparent from perusal of the following description and consideration of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing Figure I is an elevational view of a package embodying the principles of the invention in actual operation. Figure II is a plan view of the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figure I disclosing the manner of opening the package.

The use of sulfur dioxide as generated by the burning of elementalsulfur for purposes of destroying insect and rodent pests in ships, buildings and similar structures has long been common practice. However, such process has never proven to be completely satisfactory for application to dwellings and other structures which contain relatively delicate furnishings. This is'true because the sulfur during the step of burning tends to sublime or otherwise give 01T fumes containing elemental sulfur. 'I'hese fumes form whitish deposits upon the surfaces of the articles to be treated which, in the case of painted and lacquered surfaces, are highly objectionable. Because of this defect the use of sulfur as a fumigant has of late years been in many cases supplanted by cyanide gases which are highly effective as destroyers of insect and rodent pests but which are extremely poisonous to higher forms of life and are also diicult to detect even in concentrations which may -be deadly to.' man. Because of these defects of cyanides extreme precautions must be observed in using them.

In my copending application, Ser. oNo. 758,236, led December 19, 1934, is disclosed a process of generating sulfur dioxide by the combustion of carbon bisulde. In this process the objectionable deposition of elemental sulfur lms upon painted, lacquered or other delicate surfaces is entirely obviated. In the above prior application, in order to obviate the possibilities of excessively rapid combustion or of explosions, the carbon bisulde is absorbed in a suitable material such as kieselguhr, diatomaceous earth, cotton waste, etc. which permits the. inflammable vapors to escape gradually and obviates violent combustion.

The present invention involves the provision of a package for the materials disclosed in my copending application which is highly efhcient in retaining the carbon bisulde during storage or shipment, which package also is susceptible of acting as a highly efcient burner for the carbon v bisulde vmateria-l.

Broadly stated, the invention comprises the provision of a package of carbon bisulde absorbed in a suitable material and hermetically sealed in a metallic container of such character that it may be readily opened at the top and provided with punctures adjacent to the bottom which permit the carbon bisulfide to ignite and the names to play upwardly along the side of the container in order to heat the contents and thus completely to expel the carbon bisulde in vapor phase.`

In the form of the invention disclosed the carbon bisulde is admixed with any convenient absorbent. Kieselguhr is found to be quite satisfactory for this purpose. Approximately threefourths of a pound of kieselguhr will contain approximately three pounds of carbon bisulde Without any tendency of the liquid to now therefrom upon opening of the container in which the material is packed. This mixture of carbon bisulde and kieselguhr is incorporated into an ordinary tin can t of thevtype of a tomato can of convenient size, and having a bottom 5 soldered thereupon. A can of approximately one quart capacity is found to be quite convenient for most purposes though, of course, larger or smaller cans may be employed if desired. It is to be under-l stood that the can is to be formed of sheet metal (e. g. mild steel) of adequate thickness and rigidity to prevent accidental rupture of the can during ordinary usage. However, it should be suficlently thin to admit of opening and slitting the sides of the package by means .of an ordinary knife or other convenient instrumentality. It

is found that when carbon bisulde is stored in kieselguhr or other suitable absorbents in accordance with the provisions of this invention, the cans containing lt may readily be sealed in ordinary manner merely by securing a. cover 6 by a conventional crimpseal 1.

Packages of fumigant as thus prepared are hermetically sealed and, of course, may be stored `for an indefinite period of time without any loss due to evaporation of the contents orwithout any re hazard. The cans will withstand internal pressures generated even when the cans are heated up to 150 F., and even if they are heated up to the point of rupture, there is no serious explosion. If in handling the packages the tin containers should accidentally be ruptured, which occurrence is improbable, there is but little fire hazard involved because the absorbent retains the liquid and prevents it from spilling. The escape of the carbon bisuliide as a vapor 'from the ruptured container is so slow that in any reasonably well ventilated place of storage the concentration of vapors cannot become 'suilciently high to be dangerous.

When it is desiredto employ the material for generating sulfur dioxide, as well as the attendant CO: which also results from the burning of CS2, for fumigation purposes the container,

may be opened at the top, for exampleby forming cross slits 8 in the top 6.. It is not necessary to pry the naps or tabs 9 thus formed upwardly but instead they may be left in position allowing the carbon bisulde vapors merely to escape through the slits. By this method excessively rapid combustion of the carbon Abisuliide over a relatively large zone at the top of the can upon opening the latter is obviated.

Adjacent 'to the bottom of the can a plurality of openings are pierced and they may take the form of vertical slits Il as shown in the drawing. Slits of this character are found in actual practice to be preferable to round openings or to transverse slits because they permit the carbon bisulilde vapors to flow upwardly along the ver.

tical surfaces of the container rather than beingv projected horizontally to a distance from the latter. By thus owing along the surfaces the vapors, upon ignition, more effectively warm the contents of the cans than is possible where they gare projected horizontally. 'Ihe container may,

of course, be providediwith a suitable paper wrapper having trade-marks, instructions and such similar matter printed thereupon. It is also desirable to print upon the label marks indicating the position inwhich the vertical slits are to be formed. These marks may also be identliied by such' labels I1 as Slit here or other similar instructions. It will also be appreciated that instead of providing the containers h separate paper wrappers they may be lithographed in convmade therein without departure yform sulfur dioxide in ventional manner. If desired, the points for the formation of the vertical slits may further be marked by small indentations in the walls of the container.

It will be appreciated that in the operation of this form of the invention the burning of carbon bisulde vapors emitted through the openings cut in the sides of the cans insures that the contents of the bottom of the can will be rapidly and completely vaporized thereby insuring that the mate' rial will be'f'burned within the shortest possible period of time commensurate with safety. This is highly desirable because if the material burns over an unduly long period of time there is considerable accidental loss of the sulfur dioxide from the space to be fumigated before the combustion is complete. Therefore, the attains the maximum possible concentration and the fumigating action is never'as intense as it is where the concentration of Ysulfur dioxide is brought immediately to its highest value.

It will thus be apparent that I have provided a relatively inexpensive package for the preservation and use of carbon bisulde as a fumigant which may be handled and stored with safety over long periods of time and which acts as a highly eicient burner for carbon bisulde during fumigationoperations.

Although lI have shown and described only the preferred forms pf the invention it will be ,ap-- parent that numerous modificationsmay be from the spirit ofthe invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is;

l. A method of burning carbon blsuliide to fumigation operations which comprises puncturing the top and lower side' wall portions of a sealed non-combustible vessel containing carbon bisulfide absorbed in a y porous material and igniting the carbon bisulde vapors issuing from the ports formed by said puncturing while allowing the names issuing from the lower side wall ports to play upwardly along the vessel to evaporate completely the carbon bisulde in the upper part of the container.

2. An apparatus for the generation of a fumi- .gating gas containing SO: from CS2 absorbed in a porous refractory material contained therein and illling it, comprising sealed sheet metal container with slits formed in the top thereof and slits formed along the side walls adjacent the bottom thereof, said slits adjacent the bottom being adapted for ignition of 'CS2 vapors in order to heat the contents oi the container above said slits along the side walls, and thus to vaporize CS: from said porous material for combustion at the top of said container.

GEORGE L. HOCKENYOS.

a normally hermetically sulfur dioxide never 

